Some Disturbing Support for Teambuilding

We have a pre-disposition to be fearful of people who are not like us. And while we want diversity in our teams, it can often come at the cost of conflict. Some controversial research on how we respond to people of different race provides yet more evidence of how getting to know people on an individual level can break down the harshest of barriers.

Firstly – the disturbing research.

Some of our innate ‘threat’ responses happen below the level of consciousness. We haven’t got time to think about them, let alone control them. One of the fastest mechanisms to react to these ‘threat responses’ is the amygdala, which measures the strength of emotions. If I show you some threatening pictures – perhaps a person jumping out from behind a parked car with a knife in their hand – this emotional thermometer goes haywire. Even if I show you this picture so quickly that you don’t have time to process it and you can’t tell what it is, this emotional reaction still takes place. It’s unbelievably sensitive.

Another picture that will make this ‘threat response’ jump to life is a picture of someone of different race to you. It doesn’t matter what your beliefs are – you can’t control it.

You can imagine this was a disturbing finding in the field of psychology and sent up all sorts of warning flares. Are we all, at some level, racist? Do we harbour deep-seated anger toward people who are different to us? Interestingly, though, as this research got more and more involved an anomaly was found: we don’t get the same reaction when we look at
celebrities of different race to ourselves.

Subsequently a Professor from Princeton University,
Susan Fiske, has delved deeply into this particular subject, with some findings that should convince anyone opposed to teambuilding to change their ways. Here it is:

If we get to know someone on an individual basis, if we know about them as a person, their traits and their interests, this emotional ‘threat response’ goes away.

If, before showing you the pictures, I give you some background and personal details about the person, the emotional reaction doesn’t take place. Simple. And this isn’t something that we can manipulate – as stated earlier, this response happens below the level of consciousness.

The implications for teams is clear: if you want your people to get along and break down barriers, people need to understand each other as more than just workers.

So next time you think you don’t have the time or energy to invest in that teambuilding activity, think again. The time you lose will be paid for ten fold with a boost in productivity.

"Hi Ian, As far as I can tell there hasn't been similar research on people who are different for reasons other than race (eg tattoos, piercings etc like you suggest). My hunch is that the same reaction would take place.

I think that even in general teambuilding, you get to learn something about the other people in your group that you may not have known before. This would represent enough individualising to get to know someone on the right level.

Thanks so much for reading.

Tony "

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Ian Welsh

May 24, 2011 10:14 PM

"That is fascinating, Tony, and totally supports the need for teambuilding, as you suggest.

I must admit that as I read your post, I was thinking from a ""white"" perspective, reacting to other races, but I assume it is a mutual reaction between any different races. Could it also apply between people of very similar racial appearance who are differentiated by a different type of physical separation, e.g. wearing a Kippah (""Yamaka""), a military uniform, with prominent body piercing, a person with significant disfigurement etc.?

One other aspect puzzling me is whether social alignment can affect the response. For example, whether general teambuilding can result in general aceptance/non-reaction to another race, or whether individual familiarization and acceptance is necessary.

A very interesting subject - we know about biases, but I think you are saying that if no biases are acknowledged there could still be the same discriminating response.